#238 Royal Finger sandwiches

Good afternoon fellow foodies.  I would not be exaggerating if I said that I'd vote for afternoon tea or a wine night over any big meal. You're probably wondering why? Because I love bite-size food!!

Afternoon tea originated from Britian and was always accompanied by sandwiches aka 'finger sandwiches' that can be consumed in a few bites. This was introduced during the times when dinner was served around 9:00 pm and to keep hungry stomachs from growling they served finger food and tea in the parlor. Thus 'Finger sandwiches' were born as little crustless sandwiches paired with tea and clotted cream. These bite-size sandwiches served with an array of sweet snacks like crumpets and scones made an elegant afternoon tea and sure to make one feel like a Queen!

Although tea was first introduced in Britian in the early days by the East India Company the ritual of drinking tea stayed only among the rich simply because 'tea leaves' were an expensive commodity at the time. High tea did not remain a high-end luxury for long nor is it considered a Royal tradition anymore. It has become quite the quintessentail ritual for women to relaxand I've enjoyed a full end high-tea or two in the DC area myself.

So, the next time you're looking for something to do in the afternoon, find a place near you and go for high tea, will you? I'm sure you'll thank me because it is quite a relaxing experience and helps you unwind. Are you saying that I am going all high end like the Queen? LOL! Well, I'd  say come up with your own finger sandwiches and scones and it may turn out to be quite frugal but relaxing enough.

Either way, the sandwich I am introducing today is one that I learned to make from by my maternal Aunt 'S' many many years ago. She returned from Tanzania in the early years of my school days and being a wonderful cook herself re-created many recipes of English origin for us cousins. Along with many more of her recipes this one became a favorite for my children too since I turned them into 'finger sandwiches' for high-tea.

4 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Fine sea salt, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil (or chives or parsley)
1 small garlic clove, minced, optional
8 slices sandwich bread
Pepper, to taste
1 large tomato

1. Place the eggs in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Have a bowl of ice water ready. After 9
minutes, transfer the eggs to the ice water to cool completely. Peel, remove egg whites and chop.
2. Take the egg yolks in a small bowl. Start slicing the tomatoes squeezing the juice into the bowl with the egg yolks removing as  many seeds as possible. add enough pepper and salt and mix well together.
3. Chop the tomato into medium size pieces. keep aside in a seperate plate along with the chopped egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In the small bowl, stir together the butter, lemon juice and a pinch salt. Stir in the basil, the garlic, and mix until smooth.
5. Spread 4 slices of the bread thickly with seasoned butter, all the way to the edges.
6. Spread 4 slices of the remaining bread thickly with egg yolk mixture.

7. Lay the egg and tomatoes on four of the bread slices and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining bread. Cut off the brown edges and slice into bite size sandwiches.